Page 17 of Wildest Dreams

Or better yet:whoon earth would they have been fighting over?

Not to be delusional, but I have a tiny inclination about why these two gorgeous hockey players might have had a casual morning brawl.

My eyes flash up to Tanner’s and he immediately knows that I know.

“O-kaaaay,” I breathe out on a shaky exhale, side-stepping from between their chests and freeing myself from the testoster-zone.

Tanner stares down at me and I swallow hard. This boy haskiss me for your bucket listwritten all over him.

And apparently he’s not done with me yet.

“You’re going to a dive bar?” he asks huskily. “And what the hell’s this about a bucket list?”

I begin speed-walking at a fast clip out of the suddenly very small cabin.

“A bucket list is a list of things you do before you kick the bucket,” I say obstinately, squeaking a little when I see that he’s thundering right behind me. “Dive bars, swimming in the lake, and then, when Fallon and I finish rocking the hell out of the reno” – I straighten my spine and swish my hair – “we’re going to treat ourselves by going mudding.”

“You’re gonnawhat?”Tanner bellows, and I race to the other side of his G-wagon, a littleoohleaving my lips when I see that his passenger door is wide open.

Snooping time.

I expect to see something incriminating like panties around the stick-shift but what I find instead makes me stumble back a step.

Right into the wet hot chest of the car’s surly owner.

I spin around wide-eyed to face him and he reaches around me to shove the door shut. He looks a little bit embarrassed and a whole lot pissed off.

“Anaxe?” I wheeze breathlessly, leaning against his car as he towers over me. “What’re you gonna do, murder me?”

He watches me long and hard before finally stepping backwards, eyes flicking to my sparkly toes and then back up to meet my gaze again.

“That’s not even funny,” he rumbles, “I would never hurt you, Aisling.”

I breathe out an incredulous laugh and his gaze instantly sharpens.

“It was never like that. That’s not who I am. Not with you.”

“Right.”

“Aisling–”

I’m about to push right past his big sexy body when I suddenly notice what he had been looking at, red cheeked and self-conscious, only moments ago.

A dry twig crunches under my sandal and I pause my footing, surprised and confused.

Tanner meets my eyes, his irises burning desperately, and then he curses roughly before turning around and trudging away from me.

I wait until he’s out of sight and then I step closer to the small tidy pile, quickly done but still heart-wrenchingly neat.

The axe suddenly makes sense and I wince, feeling like a jerk.

He cut all of the lumber that I need for the empty fireplace.

Chapter 5

Tanner

Present day

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